76ers-Celtics Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Apr 08 2012 12:46AM

The Boston Celtics may be leading the Atlantic Division, but they haven't looked like a first-place team against the Philadelphia 76ers this season.

If Philadelphia can't get out of its funk down the stretch, a division title - or worse, a playoff spot - may be out of the question.

The Celtics look to extend their Atlantic lead by avoiding a third straight loss Sunday night to the visiting 76ers, who have dropped three straight overall.

Boston entered the All-Star break mired in a five-game losing streak and with a 15-17 record, trailing Philadelphia by four games.

The Celtics (31-24) quickly turned that around, winning five straight to open the season's second half, in which they've gone 16-7 to make up a total of six games on the 76ers, who they now lead by two games.

Boston won for the sixth time in eight games overall Saturday, beating Indiana 86-72 - the fourth time in the last eight contests that Boston held its opponent below 80 points.

Coach Doc Rivers lauded his team's defensive effort after the Celtics held the Pacers to 35.1 percent shooting.

"I thought defensively, we were sensational tonight," Rivers said. "In a game where shots are not going in and you can still win the game, that means you can trust your defense on nights that it (the offense) doesn't work."

Paul Pierce scored 24 points and Ray Allen had 19 off the bench in his third game back after missing six with an ankle injury. Allen went 5 for 11 from 3-point range.

"We got him good shots and I told him, it's still going to take a couple of games," Rivers said. "He's still trying to get his legs back. I thought in the second half, you could see he had a breakthrough."

The Celtics will have to play much better than their previous two meetings with the 76ers if they're to increase their division lead.

Evan Turner scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Philadelphia to a 103-71 rout of Boston on March 7. Elton Brand then led six players in double figures with 20 points in the 76ers' 99-86 victory March 23.

Philadelphia, though, is only 5-9 against the rest of the league since the March 7 meeting, and Saturday's 88-82 loss to Orlando was its third straight defeat.

Also, both of last month's wins over the Celtics took place in Philadelphia. The Celtics have taken five of their last six home meetings in this series.

The 76ers (29-26) now sit seventh in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of eighth-place New York and 1 1/2 ahead of ninth-place Milwaukee with 11 games remaining.

Philadelphia's starters were outscored 80-31 on Saturday, when Thaddeus Young led the team with 20 points off the bench. No player in the starting five scored more than seven points, and the 76ers were unable to generate enough offense despite holding the Magic to 36.3 percent shooting.

Coach Doug Collins hinted changes may be necessary to the starting lineup.

"We can't keep digging ourselves a hole like that, just can't do it," he said.

Garnett and Rondo carry Celtics over 76ers 103-79

Posted Apr 08 2012 10:06PM

BOSTON (AP) The Boston Celtics turned consecutive games against teams they're jockeying with for playoff positioning into a notice for the rest of the Eastern Conference: They have every intention of breaking off a postseason run.

Kevin Garnett scored 20 points and Rajon Rondo dished out double-digit assists for his 17th consecutive game, finishing with 15 to help lead Boston to a 103-79 win over the struggling Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night.

One night earlier, the Celtics posted a double-digit win at Indiana, a team one spot ahead of them in the East's playoff chase.

"We know what's at stake," said forward Paul Pierce, who had 17 points. "A fourth seed, maybe a third."

Brandon Bass and Avery Bradley each added 18 points as the Celtics won for the seventh time in nine games, improving their Atlantic Division lead to three games over both the 76ers and New York Knicks.

Last week, Boston coach Doc Rivers blasted his team after a tough loss in Chicago.

"I think that was just Doc blowing off steam," Pierce said. "We've got a room full of veterans. I don't think we need any more motivation."

Two seasons ago, Boston was in a similar place in the standings late in the season and made a run to the NBA Finals before falling to the Lakers in seven games.

"This team is taking it to another level. They make you look bad. Did it to Miami last Sunday, did it to Indiana and now they did it to us," Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. "They are going to be a handful and I wouldn't want to play them in the playoffs. When Boston locks in they are really tough to play against. It's going to be very interesting. I wouldn't blink on Boston. Everybody wants to talk about Miami and Chicago."

Nikola Vucevic led Philadelphia with 14 points and Andre Iguodala had 13. The 76ers have dropped 10 of 14, falling out of first in the Atlantic and forced to compete for the final playoff spot in the East. They are tied with the Knicks for seventh place, one game ahead of Milwaukee.

Coming off their 86-72 win over the Pacers, the Celtics broke this one open early in the second quarter.

Boston led 25-22 after one and outscored the 76ers 20-4 to start the second, pulling to a 45-26 lead on Bradley's runner in the lane. Ray Allen, coming off the bench for the third straight game, ignited the spree with eight points. His 3-pointer from the right wing gave Boston its first double-digit advantage (34-24) 3:04 into the quarter.

The Celtics held Philadelphia to 27.3 percent shooting in the second quarter (6 of 22). The 76ers missed 12 of their first 13 shots.

Rivers is most impressed by his team's play on the defensive end during the current run.

"The defense is real good, guys are locked in," he said. "I don't care how well you play, your offense is going to fail you sometimes. But if you come with the right mind-set, your defense never should, and it'll always give you a chance to win a game."

Philadelphia entered the game with the league's best scoring defense, but the Celtics had things pretty easy in the opening half, getting open looks and numerous drives into the lane.

The 76ers may feel like things are slipping away after an impressive 20-9 start.

"We are tied with the Knicks and they have the tiebreaker," 76ers forward Elton Brand said. "Definitely bad right now and we need to get out of this slump."

Boston led 50-36 at halftime, shooting 57.6 percent (19 of 33) in the opening 24 minutes.

The Celtics then turned it into a rout with an 18-4 run coming out of the break, pushing the lead to 68-40 on Bradley's 3 from the right wing. Garnett scored eight of Boston's first 13 points, driving for a few easy buckets off Rondo's feeds.

The Celtics led 84-63 after three quarters.

Philadelphia made a run early in the final quarter, closing to 86-70 on Lou Williams' breakaway layup, but Sasha Pavlovic hit a 3-pointer to give the Celtics a 91-72 lead and they were never tested the rest of the way.

NOTES: The 76ers, who fell to 10-15 on the road, play eight of their final 10 games away from home. ... Boston travels to Miami for a Tuesday night matchup against the Heat, a little over a week after blowing them out, 91-72, at home. ... The Celtics improved to 20-9 at TD Garden.

Notebook: Celtics 103, Sixers 79

Posted Sunday April 8, 2012 11:07PM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Kevin Garnett had 20 points as the Boston Celtics dominated their Atlantic Division rivals with a 103-79 demolition of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celts shot a season-high 58.8 percent from the field thanks to terrific scoring balance that featured four starters with at least 17 points. Boston's defense was just as impressive forcing 11 first-half turnovers while only allowing 38.2 percent shooting. The lockdown effort left the 76ers with what ended up as an insurmountable deficit for much of the final 36 minutes. With their second straight win, the Celtics tightened their hold on the top of the Atlantic Division, extending their edge to three games over Philadelphia. Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the reeling visitors, who have now dropped four straight contests.

QUOTABLE: "I would not want to play them in the playoffs. Everybody is looking at Miami and Chicago as the two teams [to beat in the Eastern Conference] but I wouldn't blink at Boston."
-- Philadelphia coach Doug Collins

THE STAT: Boston's starting five shot a sizzling 64 percent on field-goal attempts (32-for-50) against one of the top defensive teams in the NBA.

TURNING POINT: Anchored by the newest member of the Boston bench in Ray Allen, Boston roared out to a 20-4 run at the start of the second quarter that pushed the Celts' lead to 19 points. Philadelphia trailed by double digits for the remainder of the contest.

HOT: Brandon Bass -- One night after struggling with his shot against Indiana, Bass was nearly perfect against the Sixers, going 8-for-10 from the field, including hitting all five of his baskets in the second half to finish with 18 efficient points.

NOT: Jodie Meeks --Philadelphia's bench struggled to score all night and the second-year guard served as one of the main reasons why. Meeks missed all seven of his shot attempts, including three from downtown over 27 minutes.

QUOTABLE II: "The defense is really good; guys are locked in. Your offense is going to fail you sometimes, but if you come at it with the right mindset your defense never should."
-- Boston coach Doc Rivers

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Rajon Rondo -- The All-Star point guard kept his streak of 17 consecutive double-digit assist games alive, dishing out 15 dimes to his teammates during the easy victory. The 15 assists matched the total number of assists Philadelphia had as a team.

ROOKIE WATCH: Center Greg Stiemsma continues to do the little things for Rivers, as he has morphed into a tremendous interior presence off the bench for Boston. The big man chipped in with two points, three rebounds, three assists, and three blocks over 24 minutes.

NOTABLE: The Celtics led by as many as 28 points. With the loss, the Sixers fell into a tie for the seventh seed with the New York Knicks, and are at risk of falling out of the postseason altogether with the surging Milwaukee Bucks just 1 1/2 games out of the final spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia plays eight of its final 10 regular-season contests on the road. The Celtics scored 57 of their 103 points from outside the paint. Boston has also won eight of its last nine games at TD Garden.

UP NEXT: For the 76ers, Tuesday @ New Jersey, Wednesday @ Toronto, Friday vs. New Jersey. For the Celtics, Tuesday @ Miami Wednesday vs. Atlanta, Friday @ Toronto.

• 76ers: --
• Celtics: O'Neal, Pietrus

• 76ers: --
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #29 Mark Lindsay, #35 Kane Fitzgerald
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:05